In this section

Embarking on a liberal arts and sciences education at Puget Sound means engaging in an integrated and demanding introduction to a life of intellectual inquiry. Throughout your academic career, you’ll learn to understand yourself, understand the diversity of intellectual approaches to understanding our world, and increase your awareness of your place in a broader context. Over four years of study, you’ll build a foundation for lifelong learning.

Core Curriculum

Core Curriculum

As a student at Puget Sound, you will complete a core curriculum consisting of two first-year seminars in fall and spring, courses in three divisions, interdisciplinary connections courses, courses on knowledge and power, and experiential learning. Your first year experience will introduce you to the academic and collaborative skills you will need to succeed in college, while providing close mentoring to chart your course. You'll begin to explore our divisions of Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences, while learning about power and knowledge production, languages, and engage in an experiential learning program such as study abroad, an internship, and/or summer research. Finally, you’ll go beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries to understand the interrelationship of fields of knowledge by exploring how they form connections to illuminate real-world issues and problems.

The First Year Experience

These first-year seminars may not be used to meet major, minor, or emphasis requirements, Divisional requirements, or other core requirements. Students may not enroll in them after fulfilling the requirement.

The Continuing Core

Graduation Requirements

Graduates on commencement day

 

As a top-tier university, we hold our students to the highest standards of academic excellence. Students who complete the following requirements will be awarded a baccalaureate degree:

  1. Complete University Core Requirements. Specific courses satisfying core requirements are listed on Puget Sound’s website and in the Bulletin. Specific courses applicable to the core will fulfill core requirements only during the semester(s) that they are officially listed in a Bulletin as fulfilling core. Courses taken credit/no credit will not fulfill core requirements.
    1. Two first-year seminars: one Connections course at the 100-level and one Critical Conversations Seminar (CCS) in writing and speaking
    2. Experiential Learning core
    3. Knowledge, Identity, and Power core (two KNOW courses; at least one at the 300-400 level)
    4. Two Connections classes above the 100-level
    5. Language requirement
  2. Complete the Divisional Requirement, which requires a one-unit* academic course in each Division. Courses taken credit/no credit will not fulfill Divisional requirements. To satisfy the Divisional Requirement, students must have:
    1. Satisfied the Arts & Humanities Division Requirement
    2. Satisfied the Social Science & History Division Requirement
    3. Satisfied the Natural Science & Math Division Requirement
  3. Complete the requirements for a Major field of study. Additional majors and/or minors are options for the student. Courses taken credit/no credit will not fulfill major requirements. 
     
  4. Earn a minimum of 32 units. The 32 units may include up to 4 academic units graded credit/no credit, up to 2 units in activity courses, and up to 4 units of independent study.
    1. A minimum of 16 units must be earned in residence at the University of Puget Sound. Residence requirements also exist in core, majors, minors, and graduation honors. Credit from approved study abroad programs is considered to be in residence credit. 
    2. A minimum of 6 of the last 8 units must be earned in residence at the University of Puget Sound. Credit from approved study abroad programs is considered to be residence credit. 
    3. Complete all incomplete or in-progress grades. All coursework must be finished by the last day of the graduation term.
  5. Maintain a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 2.00 in all graded courses taken at Puget Sound, including transfer courses, and in the major(s) and the minor(s), if a minor is elected.
     
  6. File an application for graduation with the Office of the Registrar. Applications are due in September for graduation at the end of the next Spring, Summer, or Fall terms. 

*0.67 unit minimum for transfer students.

Declaring a Major

Students doing field research with Professor Carrie Woods

 

Each student declares a major by the end of their second year through the Office of Academic Advising and will be responsible for meeting the requirements. An academic major requires a minimum of 8 units within that department or program, of which 4 units must be in residence credit. While a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA is required to graduate, some departments or programs may require a higher GPA for the completion of a major or minor. 

In addition to a major, a student may choose to declare more than one major or a minor. An academic minor requires a minimum of 5 units, of which 3 units must be residence credit. Courses graded pass/fail may not be counted toward their minor requirement.

Related Links

Core Curriculum and Graduation Requirements Prior to 2024-2025

The text below pertains to the previous Core Curriculum and Graduation Requirements for students matriculating prior to the 2024-2025 academic year.

Core Curriculum

As a student at Puget Sound, you will complete a core curriculum consisting of courses from eight core areas of study. Each course counts as one unit toward your eight-unit core requirement. You will first gain a foundational study of college-level writing, speaking, and research practices, while beginning to study five academic approaches to understanding the world. Finally, you’ll go beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries to understand the interrelationship of fields of knowledge by exploring connections between these approaches.

Seminar in Scholarly Inquiry (Year 1)

Five Approaches to Knowing (Years 1–3)

Interdisciplinary Experience (Years 3–4)

Graduation Requirements

As a top-tier university, we hold our students to the highest standards of academic excellence. Students who complete the following requirements will be awarded a baccalaureate degree:

  • Earn a minimum of 32 units, including a minimum of 16 units in residence at the University of Puget Sound. 
    • Units may include up to 4 academic units graded credit/no credit, up to 2 units in activity courses, and up to 4 units of independent study.
    • A minimum of 6 of the last 8 units earned must be in residence at the University of Puget Sound.
  • Maintain a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 2.00 in all courses taken at Puget Sound, transfer courses, in your major and minor.
  • Successfully complete Puget Sound’s core curriculum requirements.
    • Students entering with freshman or sophomore standing must complete at least a course in Connections, the second Seminar in Scholarly Inquiry, and two additional core areas. Up to 4 core courses may be completed with transfer credit.
    • Students entering with junior standing must complete at least a course in Connections, the second Seminar in Scholarly Inquiry, and one additional core area. Up to 5 core courses may be completed with transfer credit.
  • Complete the Language Graduation Requirement* as follows:
    • Taking two 1-credit language courses in Chinese, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Latin, or Spanish that are taught in the target language. Two courses are required for all students, with the following exceptions:
      • Students with a high school diploma from a school where the primary language of instruction was other than English do not need to take further courses.
      • Heritage learners (defined by Valdés, 2001 as “a student of language who is raised in a home where a non-English language is spoken, who speaks or merely understands the heritage language, and who is to some degree bilingual in English and the heritage language”) are required to take only one course.
      • Students with AP language exam scores of 4 or 5 or IB higher level language scores of 5, 6, or 7 are required to take only one course.
      • Transfer students may use transfer credit to count for one or both courses. Each approved transfer course must be a minimum of 4 quarter credits or 3 semester credits. 
    • See the "Undergraduate Programs and Degrees" section of the current University Bulletin for additional details and a list of courses taught in English that have been approved for the requirement. 
  • Satisfy the Knowledge, Identity, and Power (KNOW) requirement by successfully completing one approved course.
  • Satisfy the Experiential Learning graduation requirement by successfully completing either a zero-credit EXLN course (295-298) or a credit-bearing course that is approved to meet that requirement.
  • Earn at least 3 academic units outside of your first major and outside of your department/program at the upper division level (at either the 300 or 400 level, or at the 200 level with departmental approval and at least two prerequisites).
  • Meet the requirements for a major field of study. A second major or a minor are optional.
  • Complete all incomplete or in-progress grades.
  • File an application for graduation with the Office of the Registrar in September for graduation at the end of the next spring, summer, or fall term.
  • Complete all coursework by the last day of the graduation term.

 

*Note: The Language Graduation Requirement changed for the 2023-24 academic year. Students on the 2022-23 or prior Bulletins must fulfill their language requirement in one of the following ways:

  • Successfully complete two graded semesters in a single foreign language at 101-102 level or one graded semester at the 200 level or above;
  • Pass an approved foreign language proficiency exam;
  • Receive a score of 4 or 5 on an Advanced Placement foreign language exam or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on an International Baccalaureate Higher Level foreign language exam;
  • Provide proof of proficiency as a native speaker of a language other than English;
  • Consult with the Office of Student Accessibility and Accommodation if you have a documented learning disability which affects your ability to learn a foreign language.